Wanderer is a platformer-adventure with echoes of Another World

The platformer-adventure Wanderer is a sci-fi tale about an ageing convict aboard an orbital prison facility who finds himself unexpectedly set free when it crashes onto the surface of Earth. What brought this flying Sing Sing down is a mystery, as are the motives of the people who seek your aid in the immediate aftermath of the crash.

Wanderer turns my knob because of its similarities to Another World. In fact, the Kickstarter page describes it as "a modernized take on classics like Another World, Flashback, and Heart of Darkness." The lead character, Rook, moves through the world in the usual fashion—walking, running, jumping, pulling himself up ledges—and will unlock additional movement abilities over the course of the game. There will also be some occasional "light action elements", and one or two AI-controller companions as well.

I played an early build of Wanderer recently, and even though the demo was very brief—"An introduction to the mood and story," as programmer Serge Lages put it—and in a decidedly pre-release state, the Another World "vibe" was definitely there. That, I should probably clarify, is not an endorsement (it's way too early for that sort of thing) but an expression of cautious optimism. I really like Another World.

Wanderer is being developed by a two-man outfit called Red Cloak Games and will be released episodically, with the first of five parts scheduled for September 2016. It got the green light on Steam last month, and last time I looked was about $4000 away from its $70,000 goal on Kickstarter. The campaign ends on November 11. Find out more at wanderer-game.com.

Andy covers the day-to-day happenings in the big, wide world of PC gaming—the stuff we call "news." In his off hours, he wishes he had time to play the 80-hour RPGs and immersive sims he used to love so much.